Chapter 11 Tatum
eleven
tatum
Looking at my phone screen and seeing that Ivan was calling me made my face scrunch.
He hadn’t been reaching out to me, so I was confused on why he was doing so at that moment.
I should have ignored it. Curiosity got the best of me, however.
It took a lot of effort for me to not answer the phone in a disrespectful manner.
“Yes?” was the best he was going to get out of me.
“Yes?” Ivan chuckled. “I got shot three months ago. I’m in a wheelchair, and you haven’t called to check on me once. You haven’t even brought my daughter to see me.”
“You don’t have a daughter,” I responded calmly. “I gave you plenty of time to be a father. All you had on your mind was females, clubbing, and going on trips. You acted like my baby didn’t exist most days, so I’m returning that energy. Fuck you and the wheelchair you rode in on.”
“Wow. You really are a fucked up ass person.”
“Yeah, yeah. Takes one to know one.” I ended the call just as my doorbell rang.
“Is that your friend, mommy?” Angel ran into the room as I was standing up.
I was finally about to let her meet Onyx.
We had been going strong and finally made things official.
I had forgiven him, and he was my man. Onyx no longer sold weed, and he worked at his father’s shop five days a week.
He had moved into a three bedroom house, and he told me once I was comfortable with letting Angel come over, she could have her own room.
That meant the world to me, and I was determined to try and make my relationship work.
No matter how badly I wanted it to work, there were certain things that were deal breakers for me.
Cheating was one of them. I could only pray that I didn’t let Onyx into my daughter’s life only for him to disappoint me.
I opened the door, and all I could do was smile at the sight of him standing there with two vases of roses in his hands. “One for you,” he handed me a vase filled with orange roses. “And one for you,” he passed Angel a small vase with pink roses inside.
“Thank you,” I beamed looking down at my daughter.
“Thank you,” Angel smiled bashfully.
“Angel, this is my boyfriend, Onyx. Onyx, this is my baby, Angel.”
Onyx extended his hand toward Angel. “It’s nice to meet you, pretty girl.”
Angel smiled and blushed. “Go put your roses in your room, baby, so we can go.”
She took off running, and Onyx pecked me on the lips. “She’s beautiful. She looks like she could be mine with that pretty dark skin.”
“She really does.” I chuckled setting my roses down.
Angel ran back into the living room, and we left.
Outside, Onyx opened his rear passenger door for her, then he opened the door for me.
We were going to lunch and then to play golf.
Angel was a well-behaved child, and I wasn’t worried that she’d act out or be bad on the outing, but I had never had her around a man that wasn’t family or Ivan, and I was nervous.
Halfway through lunch, all of my anxiety had dissipated.
Angel seemed to really like Onyx, and he was so attentive and good with her, it really tugged at my heartstrings.
Watching the way, he was with her, there was no doubt in my mind that he’d be a great father one day.
“You know, once Angel runs her mouth and tells my parents I have a boyfriend, they’re going to want to meet you next.
” My parents had never even met Ivan. Honestly, my ass would have been lowkey embarrassed to take him home to my father.
I knew better. Even when I pretended I didn’t. I knew damn well Ivan wasn’t it.
“I’m ready when they are. I told you, I’m all in, and I’m not going anywhere.” The soothing tone of his voice, and the way he was peering at me like I was something good to eat had me clenching my thighs together. “You gon’ get all this love. In more ways than one.”
I bit my bottom lip and gave him a seductive glare but decided not to say anything because my daughter was present.
Later, I was gon’ take his ass down though.
My period had just gone off and five days without him inside me was five days too long.
After I forgave Onyx, it took a month for me to give in and have sex with him.
It had been on ever since. I couldn’t get enough of his sexy big dick having ass.
Business at the shop was better than ever.
There were a lot of clients that I did for the first time when they came in as walk-ins and after I did their nails once, I was the only person in the shop that they wanted.
I was averaging $2,000 a week, easy just from doing nails.
And I was only working five days a week.
Life was looking up for me, and I was excited for what was to come.
Maybe one day, I’d even have my own nail shop.
After golf, we went and got ice cream, and Angel couldn’t even make it home.
She fell asleep in the car. Onyx carried her into the house for me.
In her room, he put her in her bed then came out and pulled me into him.
Wrapping his arms around me, he placed his face in the crook of my neck. “How did I do?”
“You did wonderful. It seems like you’re really good with kids, and I can tell my baby likes you.”
“I like her too,” he stared into my eyes. “And I like her mama.”
“Her mama likes you too,” I smiled.
“Word?” Onyx pecked my lips.
“Yeap. Come on let’s go in this room and let me show you before she wakes up.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice.”
I was in love. Like for real in love. Giving Onyx a second chance had been the best thing I’d ever done.
I second guessed myself a lot, but I was glad that I followed my heart.
I’d never let him play in my face, but he was definitely worth a shot.
The day that he decided to use me to get back at Ivan was one of the best decisions he’d ever made.
God surely had a sense of humor because the way I met my soulmate was insane. But he was mine, and we were locked in.